Baekhyun began the year of 2021 with the release of "Get You Alone", the lead single for his eponymous Japanese EP and debuted the song during his first online concert on January 4 in front of 110,000 fans worldwide.[1] The EP was released on January 20.[2]
On February 1, Baekhyun collaborated with labelmate Raiden and Changmo for, "Runner", a theme song that was released for T1 esports team that were competing in the League of Legends.[3]
On March 4, SM announced that Baekhyun will make a solo comeback at the end of the month and was reported in the process of finalizing the album.[4] Eight days later, he collaborated with labelmate Doyoung from NCT for the cover of "Doll", originally performed by Lee Jee-hee and Shin Hye-sung.[5] The comeback schedule poster was uploaded in social media on March 15 and the date of the EP's release was scheduled on March 30.[6]
On March 17, "Bambi" was officially announced as the title track for the EP.[7] Baekhyun held an impromptu live broadcast on March 19, where he introduced "Bambi" as "the 30 years old Baekhyun" and hinted that the song has foreign feel and leans toward pop.[8] The teaser for the music video was released on March 25 at SM Town's YouTube and Naver TV channels.[9]
"Bambi" was released digitally alongside its accompanying music video and the full EP on March 30.[10] The remix versions of the song by BRLLNT and h4rdy were released digitally as part of iScreaM Vol.8 : Bambi Remixes on April 23.[11]
Composition
"Bambi" is a "groovy" R&B song featuring emotional guitar melody that was co-composed by Deez, Yunsu, Saay, and Adrian McKinnon.[12] The song was composed in the key of G minor with the tempo of 61 beats per minute.[13]
The lyrics were penned by Deez and Saay, depicting fairy-tale like settings and touched mature love themes.[14]
During the press conference led by bandmate Xiumin, Baekhyun considered "Bambi" as his custom song and recalled his liking of the song after hearing it for the first time because the hook was very strong.[15] He added that the song likens the transition from a boy to a young man and recounted, "I thought a lot about what could give me extreme sexiness while relaxing a little."[15]
Music video
The music video begins with Baekhyun moving through a dark train and danced to the choreography of the song before switching to a suit and a fedora.[16] Baekhyun revealed in an interview that he was actively involved in the production of the music video.[16]
Commercial performance
In its home country, "Bambi" peaked at the No. 14 of Gaon Music Chart for the 14th week of 2021.[17] The song peaked at No. 36 in the K-pop Hot 100 chart where it stayed for a week.[18]
Prior to the release of Bambi, Baekhyun announced that he would not promote new material in any music shows and that nothing has been scheduled in April in preparations for his mandatory military service on May 6.[20]
The song would only be performed live for the first time three years later in 2024 as part of the set list for Baekhyun's first solo Asia concert Lonsdaleite Tour.[21]
^Kim, Min-ji (January 4, 2021). "백현, 첫 솔로 콘서트로 전 세계 120개국·11만 시청자 매료" [Baekhyun's first solo concert attracts 110,000 viewers in 120 countries around the world]. News1 (in Korean). Seoul. Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^Kang, Ji-na (January 19, 2021). "엑소 백현, 일본 첫 미니앨범 20일 발매" [EXO's Baekhyun Releases Japan's First Mini Album on the 20th]. Newsis (in Korean). Seoul. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^Park, Seo-hyun (March 4, 2021). "[단독]엑소 백현, 원톱 솔로가 돌아온다..3월 말 새 앨범 컴백" [[Exclusive] EXO's Baekhyun and One-Top Solo are back. New album comeback at the end of March]. K-Pop Herald (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^Hong, Se-young (March 15, 2021). "엑소 백현 'Bambi' 스케줄 포스터 공개 [공식]" [EXO's Baekhyun 'Bambi' Schedule Poster Released [Official]]. The Dong-A Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^Choo, Seung-hyun (March 17, 2021). "엑소 백현 솔로 타이틀곡은 '밤비'…히트곡 행진 예고" [EXO's Baekhyun's solo title track is 'Bambi'... Hit streak preview]. Seoul Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^Kim, Su-jin (March 19, 2021). "백현 "밤비(Bambi)는 서른 살 백현" [★라이브]" [Baekhyun "Bambi is thirty years old Baekhyun [★Live]]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^Hong, Hye-min (March 30, 2021). "백현 "'Bambi', 군 입대 전 마지막 선물"" [Baekhyun "'Bambi' is my last gift before joining the military"]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^Kwak, Hyun-su (March 30, 2021). "엑소 백현 "밀리언셀러 달성, 엑소엘의 사랑 덕분"" [EXO's Baekhyun "Achieved a Million Seller, Thanks to EXO-L's Love"]. YTN (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^Hong, Hye-min (March 30, 2021). "엑소 백현 "'Bambi', 내 맞춤 곡...'내꺼다' 싶었다"" [EXO's Baekhyun: "'Bambi' is my custom song...'It's mine'"]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^ abHwang, Mi-hyun (March 30, 2021). "'컴백' 백현 "힘을 빼면서 극한의 섹시함 주려고 노력"" ['Comeback' Baekhyun "Trying to give extreme sexiness while relaxing power"]. News1 (in Korean). Seoul. Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^Park, Gyul (March 18, 2024). "백현 "엑소엘, 나를 무한히 발전시켜"…첫 오프라인 솔로콘서트 성료" [Baekhyun "Exo-L, develop me infinitely"... First offline solo concert successfully completed]. Newsis (in Korean). Seoul. Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
